


Always

by Kiraynn



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward attempts at romance, Donnie's adorable, M/M, Relationship Advice, Turtlecest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 00:54:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3402470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiraynn/pseuds/Kiraynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donnie's always loved Mikey, but he has no idea how to tell him. Maybe it's time for some advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Aw come on, you already know this. So not mine. 
> 
> Written for my friend Nis86 on Deviantart.

Donatello sat on the steps leading down into the ‘living room’ area of the Lair. His laptop sat open and forgotten on his lap, fingers resting on the buttons where he’d stopped in mid-type. The screen had long gone into Sleep Mode from lack of use, as it had lost Donnie’s attention long before to his two brothers that took up residence on the sofa.

Raph’s face was hidden behind one of his comic books, the cover depicting the title as ‘Tales from the Sewers’ in dripping green. Not far from him, Leo’s blue eyes were locked on the television screen and his mouth stretched out into a goofy grin as he enjoyed his favorite show.

Although they were engrossed in two different means of entertainment, seemingly oblivious to the other’s presence, even from Donnie’s viewpoint he could see that was not the case. 

Leo’s shell comfortably propped against the soft arm, his legs were stretched out so they draped over the tops of Raph’s thighs. The same hotheaded terrapin who was usually unhappy when he deemed one his brothers in his personal space was holding his comic with one hand, while the other absently rubbed at Leo’s knees. 

It was an innocent, and yet intimate act and Donnie couldn’t quell the jealous feeling that stirred in his gut.

It wasn’t that he was jealous of either of them, per se. He was happy that his brothers had finally acknowledged how they felt about each other and had gotten together. Really, it was about time.

Donnie’s brown eyes drifted from the content couple to his remaining brother. Mikey was lying on his stomach on the floor in front of the television, arms bent at the elbows and his chin resting on his hands. His knees were bent as well, feet rocking in air as his attention was completely captured by the Space Heroes cartoon.

Leo had been absolutely thrilled the day that Mikey decided he liked it too, and the two of them had been watching it together almost constantly since then.

Taking in his youngest sibling’s relaxed form, Donnie wanted nothing more than to stretch out beside him and share loving, caring touches like Raph and Leo. He wanted to be with Mikey.

Donnie wasn’t sure exactly when his affection for the hyperactive turtle had changed from brotherly affection to romantic love. It just happened when they were younger. It was like when you’re just walking along, minding your own business, and someone jumps out at you and yells BOO!.

Your heart pounds in your chest, breathing increases, and adrenaline goes on overdrive.

Well, one day Mikey smiled at him and that was that.

But Donnie didn’t know what to do about it. At first he felt confused and guilty. Brothers weren’t supposed to fall in love with each other. It wasn’t natural. Then again, they were mutant turtles. What about them was natural?

Years passed and Donnie still hadn’t decided how to broach the subject. Mikey was just so… so innocent. Would he even understand?

And then came their fifteenth Mutation Day, and Splinter finally agreed to let them leave the Lair (after warning them about crossing the street and the horrors of public bathrooms). It was during that fateful night that Donnie first laid eyes on the human beauty April O’Neal. 

His affection for her was completely genuine. What wasn’t to like? She was pretty, smart, funny, and most importantly she wasn’t related to him. But Donnie had another agenda for being so obvious about his crush on her.

He was trying on some level to get a reaction out of Mikey. Much to his dismay, the youngest turtle was oblivious. The only ones who remarked about Donnie’s behavior were Raph, Leo, and occasionally even Splinter. Mikey remained as cheerful and upbeat as usual.

When Casey came along, Donnie didn’t think much of the human. He’d managed to follow Raph to the Lair and apparently not only did he know April, but he had a crush on her as well. Donnie’s quick mind immediately saw the opportunity in that. He decided that he would use Casey as both an outlet for his frustration, as well as a distraction.

It worked for a while, though Donnie recognized that at times his ‘rivalry’ with Casey made April a little nervous and a lot annoyed. He kept telling himself that he would take it down a notch, but then Mikey would smile that same, happy-go-lucky grin and all of Donnie’s control would go out the window as frustration at his brother’s lack of attention took over. The next thing he’d know, he and Casey would be rolling around the floor trying to grab the other in a choke hold.

Even through it all, Casey and April’s affection for each other grew stronger and they eventually bit the bullet and started dating just about the same time as Raph and Leo announced they really liked each other. For Donnie it was almost a relief not to have to pretend anymore, but at the same time it left him back at square one.

It was time to just suck it up and ask for advice.

 

>

 

It was mid-afternoon one day when Donnie decided to go to Raph first. Leo was mediating with Master Splinter, so Donnie knew it was safe as he approached the door to his brother’s room. The last thing he wanted to do was risk walking in on something uncomfortable.

The rhythmic pounding of Raph’s drum set increased in volume as Donnie got closer. Despite the noise, his brother really was pretty good; though honestly it still gave the purple masked turtle a headache. Squaring his shoulders, he lifted his hand and knocked hard on the wood. It took a few tries before Raph finally heard him.

The door opened to reveal the shorter male, sans mask, who raised an eyeridge at the sight of Donnie’s tense, lanky form. “’Sup, bro?”

“Um…” Donnie hesitated, “can I talk to you for a moment, Raph? It’s kind of important.”

“You,” clearly astonished, Raph pointed at him, then to himself, “want to talk to me?”

Donnie nodded. “Yeah. It’s shocking, I know. Can I come in?”

The darker turtle backed up and gestured for him to enter, then closed the door behind him. Donnie took a moment to study the bedroom. He’d seen it a million times before, but lately it had begun to have subtle changes: a couple of Space Heroes memorabilia here and there (a couple figurines on the shelves, a mug on the floor by the bed, a throw blanket half on and half off the mattress), one of Leo’s spare masks on the side table, and wrappings lighter than Raph’s lying strewn over the weight bench.

Donnie knew there were similar things of Raph’s in Leo’s room (comic books, an extra Sai or two, some hand weights..). They were small, but subtle invasions that just cemented how much in each other’s lives his two brothers had become.

Again, that jealousy reared its ugly head and Donnie’s determination strengthened.

“How did you get Leo?” he blurted.

Raph stared at him. Surprise melted into suspicion as his green eyes narrowed. Raph’s arms crossed in front of his chest, body tensing ever so slightly as he attempted to stare his brother down. “Why?”

Recognizing that Raph had gone into Possessive Mode, Donnie was quick to break the tension. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace, palms out and fingers open. “It’s not like that!” he assured the hotheaded teen. “I swear!”

Raph’s stance relaxed slightly, but he still looked suspicious. “Why do you want to know?” he asked again. “This isn’t about April, is it? Seriously, man, you have to let her go already. She and Casey are together.”

“I know. It’s not about her.”

Suspicion turned into curiosity, and Donnie knew he finally had his full attention. Raph could be stubborn about things sometimes, but once he understood he was needed in some way by those he cared about, he was there one hundred percent.

“Alright,” he sat on the edge of his bed, “then what is it about?”

Donnie turned away from him and started to pace, his fingers twisting together in front of him. He’d never said his feelings out loud before and so the fact that he was not only about to, but to someone else, was making him extremely nervous. “I like Mikey,” he stated softly. “I mean, I really like him. Like you and Leo. But I don’t know what to do about it. So I was hoping that I could, I don’t know, get some ideas from you.”

Raph was staring at him again.

“For crying out loud, will you say something?” Donnie demanded. “You’re making me nervous!”

“Oh, sorry.” Raph shook himself slightly. “I’m just trying to digest the fact that you’ve got the hots for Mikey.”

Donnie flushed. “Could you not say it like that? Now tell me how you got Leo to like you back.”

“Hey! How do you know it wasn’t the other way around?”

“Please,” Donnie wasn’t impressed. “The way you used to get so mad when he’d drool over Karai? That was clear jealousy.”

Now it was Raph’s turn to look uncomfortable. “Shut up, Donnie. Fine. If you want to get Mikey to like you back, you have to get him to notice you.”

“He already notices me,” Donnie protested. “We live in the same place, Raph.”

Raphael rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean like that, you twit. I mean in a..” he blushed faintly, “…romantic sense. Fuck, Leo’s turning me into a sap…”

“So how’d you do that?” Donnie pressed. “I don’t remember any romantic gestures from you.”

“Well they weren’t in front of you!” Raph snapped, clearly embarrassed. “Anyway, it was little things. You know. Like I’d give him stuff I knew he wanted. How do you think he got that?” 

Donnie followed Raph’s gesture to the throw blanket. “You gave that to him?”

“Well I ordered it, and April delivered it for me. I also stayed up with him when he was sick with the flu last month. Got him drinks, medicine, a bucket to throw up in…”

Ah, Donnie remembered that. At the time he’d been impressed but he figured that Raph thought he owed it to Leo out of guilt. After all, he had been the one that insisted they go topside in that bad snow storm.

“You’re such a softie,” he told his brother with a pleased grin. “No wonder you won him over.”

Raph growled. “I’m going to kick your ass if you’re not out of here in the next five seconds.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Donnie agreed, though he was still smiling as he headed for the door. “Thanks, Raph!”

“Yeah, yeah… just get out! Oh, and Donnie?”

Half out the open door, Donnie turned to look at him. “Yeah?”

Raph smiled. “Good luck.”

 

>

 

Raph’s advice seemed easy enough. Small, romantic gestures. Donnie could do that. The problem was deciding just how he was going to start. The logic way was to focus on the things that Mikey loved, and the most obvious choice was food. The youngest of their family was a notorious pig. You know, for a turtle. A piggy turtle. Or whatever.

The problem was that while Donnie was a genius with technology and science, he royally sucked when it came to cooking. He shouldn’t be, considering that all cooking was really was basic principles of how much of what goes into where. Just like a science experiment. Easy.

But the burnt toast, overcooked eggs, shriveled up bacon, and rock pancakes spoke otherwise.

“Whoa, what the heck happened in here?” Mikey entered the kitchen, coughing as he waved at the air in front of his face. “Smells like Raph after he eats chili!” 

“Nothing!” Donnie squeaked, shoving the mess into the garbage. “Nothing at all!”

“Dude,” Mikey grinned wide, “were you trying to cook?”

“No! I was… doing an experiment!”

“Awww…” Mikey cooed, obvious not believing him, “that’s adorable! Here, let me.” He shoved his elder brother onto one of the counter stools. “You just sit right there and let Ol’ Mikey cook your breakfast for you.” 

Adding insult to injury, he reached up and pinched Donnie’s cheeks like he was both precious and incredibly pathetic. Humiliated, Donnie shoved Mikey away with a huff, blushing as his brother laughed.

Plan One: Romantic Gesture.

Status: Failure.

 

>

 

Since that hadn’t worked, Donnie zeroed in on his next target. As much as it pained him to do so, he knew he had to ask Casey.

As luck would have it, he was paired with the human on one of their patrols. Leo was with April (he was trying not to play favorites by choosing Raph all the time), Mikey with Raph, and so Donnie was with Casey. How helpful.

The two of them were playing vigil on top of a random roof when Donnie screwed up his courage to ask his question.

“How did you finally get April to date you?”

“You’re not going to try to steal her from me, are you, Stretch?” he asked. Unlike Raph though, Casey was clearly joking if the wide smile he was sporting was any indication. He knew Donnie had no chance. “Because I ain’t letting go.”

“And you better not,” Donnie retorted vehemently, surprising the other teen. “I’m just curious, is all.”

“Oh. Okaaay. Well, I flirted a lot,” Casey chuckled. “The ladies always love that. It lets them see how smooth you are.”

“Flirting?” Donnie had seen Casey do that with April numerous times, but from what he’d witnessed, all April had done was roll her eyes and punch him. “Are you sure that actually worked?” he asked skeptically.

“It sure did!” Casey replied proudly. “Sure, she resisted my awesome at first, but just look at us now! Living proof, my friend.”

Well they were together, so Casey had to be right on some level, didn’t he? Donnie thought it over the rest of the night and decided it was worth a try. The problem was that as a turtle in the sewer, he’d never used pick-up lines before, nor would he even know where to start. So he went to the internet for help.

Probably not the best idea.

The last thing Donnie wanted was his family witnessing what was about to come out of his mouth, so he decided to approach Mikey when the younger was in his bedroom. 

“Hi, Donnie!” Mikey greeted him when he opened the door. He was absolutely thrilled, as most of the time his brothers refused to set foot into his room. “Come in! Do you want to play a game?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a minute,” Donnie replied as he walked in. He tried not to pay attention to the mess around his feet, namely wrappers and bags and random toys, and instead focused on the shorter turtle.

“Okay, shoot,” Mikey agreed. “What’s up?”

Trying to imitate how Casey would stand when he flirted, with his hip cocked to the side and a slight smirk on his face, he began, “is it hot in here? Or is it just you?”

“You’re hot!?” Mikey gasped. He reached up and slapped his hand over Donnie’s forehead. “Oh, no! Do you have a fever?! Let’s get Master Splinter!”

“No, no, I’m fine!” Donnie hastily assured him, shoving Mikey’s hand from his head. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I uh… I lost my teddy bear. Can I cuddle with you?”

Mikey blinked up at him. He turned and grabbed his bear, tape all over it from the time Leatherhead tore it down the middle, and handed it to Donnie. “You can sleep with Snuggles if you want,” he smiled encouragingly. “He’s a good cuddler! Just be careful though. One of his eyes keeps popping out.” Mikey closed one of his own eyes to imitate the trouble-maker. “Don’t want to choke on that.”

Donnie faltered, clutching the toy like a lifeline. “Y-Your eyes are blue like the ocean, and I’m lost at sea.”

“Sea?” Mikey’s confusion only increased. “Are we playing a game, D? Oh! Can I be a pirate!?” He turned away and leapt onto his bed, jumping up and down. “Arrrr! I’m Blackbeard! Come and take my ship if you dare! Come on, Donnie! Play!”

In the end, Donnie ended up begrudgingly playing three rounds of Pirates before Mikey let him leave. He was humiliated and depressed as he flopped down onto the sofa.

Plan Two: Flirting.

Status: EPIC FAILURE!

“Donatello,” Splinter approached his son, a concerned expression on his rodent face, “what’s the matter?”

“I’m at my whit’s end, Sensei,” Donnie sighed, sitting up. “How do I get someone to realize that I like them as more than a friend?”

“Hmm…” the rat studied him, “is this about Michelangelo?”

Donnie jerked in shock. “H-how’d you know?”

“I was in love once myself, Donatello,” Splinter reminded him with a kind smile, “I know what it looks like.”

Oh, how could he have forgotten? Donnie looked across the room at the framed picture of Splinter’s human form with his late wife and baby Miwa. Splinter followed his gaze. 

“Would you like me to tell you how I was lucky enough to earn Tang Shen’s affection?”

“Could you?” Donnie asked hopefully. “If it’s not too painful, that is…”

“I would be happy to honor her memory through a story,” Splinter assured him. He sat down beside the turtle, both hands lightly clutching his emerald colored cane. “I simply told her how I felt.”

Donnie nearly fell off the sofa. “That’s it?” he gasped, shocked. “But that.. that.. it’s so simple!”

Splinter chuckled. “You have the smartest mind I’ve ever known,” he complimented, “but you should realize that sometimes the simplest solution is sometimes the best one.”

Donnie thought the advice over for a moment, then smiled wide and threw his arms around the older mutant in a tight hug. “Thank you, Sensei!” He shot up and ran from the living room.

Splinter watched him go, a pleased grin on his face. It did his heart good to see his children so happy even though it was with each other. It was all he ever wanted for them.

Mikey nearly jumped out of his shell was Donnie burst into his room again. “D? Did you want to play again?”

“No, Mikey,” Donnie grabbed his shoulders, giving him a small shake, “no more playing. The truth of the matter is that I’ve been listening to the wrong people. Sure, Raph’s romantic gestures worked with Leo, and Casey’s stupidity worked with April, but you’re not them. You’re you. You’re adorable, sweet, lovable you. And Mikey? I love you.”

Mikey was silent for a moment, then in one swift moment jumped up and wrapped his arms around Donnie’s neck, pressing a kiss to his lips. He broke away before Donnie’s shocked mind could wrap around what just happened enough to return it.

“It’s about time!” he laughed. “Seriously, I thought you were never going to just come out and say it! Seriously though, all the beating around the bush you were doing? That was hilarious.”

“You mean you knew?” Donnie gasped. “This whole time!?”

“Well, duh!” Mikey grinned. “You’re pretty obvious. Now give me some sugar.”

Donnie frowned. “Mikey?”

“Yeah?”

“Never say it like that again.”

“Aww… can I call it smoochy smooch time?”

“No.”

“Tonsil Hockey? Plant a smacker? Slurp Syrup?”

“Okay, ew. That sounds gross,” Donnie shuddered. “Just kiss me already.”

“Yeah, alright,” Mikey agreed happily, nuzzling closer, “that works too.”

Plan Three: Honesty.

Status: Total success.


End file.
